Yoshi's Woolly World is a platform game for the Wii U, developed by Good-Feel and starring Yoshi. Surprisingly, it's also the first home console Yoshi game since Yoshi's Story (for the Nintendo 64) in 1997. Its gameplay is highly reminiscent of Yoshi's Island and Story, but the game is also a spiritual successor to Kirby's Epic Yarn, a Good-Feel game for the Wii that shares the arts-and-crafts aesthetic.

Baby Bowser, up to his nasty tricks again, has ordered Kamek to transform the Yoshis into inanimate Wonder Wool and scatter them across the land. It's up to Yoshi (and Red Yoshi, if you’re playing co-op note or you just want to play as him instead) to journey across gorgeous landscapes made of cloth and yarn and retrieve the Wonder Wool. Several classic elements from Yoshi's previous adventures return, such as Chomp Rocks, Shy Guys, Huffin' Puffins, and clouds that burst open and spill goodies if Yoshi shoots a projectile at them. Instead of turning enemies into eggs, Yoshi can swallow bits of yarn from the environment to turn them into yarn balls. Yarn balls have multiple purposes; they can be used to uncover secrets, "knit" new platforms, and tangle up enemies to expose them for a good jump attack.

In your journey, you’re offered two modes for play: Classic Mode and Mellow Mode. In Classic Mode, you play through yarn-filled worlds as you would a typical platformer, collecting Wonder Wool, beads, and other goodies along the way. Mellow Mode is similar, but allows you to play as Winged Yoshi. Winged Yoshi can indefinitely flutter, allowing casual players to breeze their way through tougher stages. Either mode can be accessed at any time while the game is paused.

The game hit store shelves (and the Wii U eShop) in the second half of 2015, with a Japanese release on July 16th, a North American release on October 16th, a European release on June 26th, and an Australian release on June 25th. Watch the trailer here. amiibo functionality is also included; the game is compatible with Yoshi's figurines as well as a set of unique plush doll amiibo. Scanning these figures will allow you to create another Yoshi, which acts similarly to a second player. In addition, all other amiibo (except the Pokémon ones) can be scanned in to unlock themed patterns for Yoshi based on that character.

A 3DS version of the game named Poochy & Yoshi's Woolly World was announced on September 1, 2016 for release on February 2, 2017. This version includes new exclusive levels with Poochy along with the ability to summon Poochy Puppies to help out in a stage. The game will be released with a new yarn Poochy amiibo packed in.

Tropes:

2˝D: The game uses 3D graphics, but stays on a 2D plane outside of the hub-world.

Adorable Evil Minions: Everything you can kill in this game is adorable to some extent, thanks to the yarn aesthetic. Even the bosses.

Advancing Boss of Doom: World 4-S consists of you being chased the entire way by Naval Piranha. Touching its thorns or being eaten results in instant death, so have fun with that.

All Cloth Unravels: Yoshi can use his tongue to tug on loose threads and radically alter his environment. Inversely, he can use his yarn balls to "knit" additional platforms onto the stage, to climb sheer cliffs for example. Also, tugging on loose threads is how you unravel Burt the Bashful's pants this time.

Collecting all of the Wonder Wool in a stage will unlock a uniquely-patterned Yoshi to play as.

Using an amiibo will give you a pattern based on the figure that was scanned in, as well, although some amiibonote particularly the amiibo based upon Pokémon only give you a generic pattern, Yarn Yoshi wearing an amiibo t-shirt.

Defeating groups of four bosses in the Boss Tent unlocks a Bronze, Silver and then Gold Yoshi.

Getting all the Wonder Wool in the Secret Level unlocks a Shiny Platinum Yoshi.

Anti-Frustration Features: Flowers, Wonder Wool, heart count, and Miiverse Stamps only need to be collected once and stay unlocked for good once you finish a course with them in your possession, making 100% Completion less frustrating. In previous games, all items had to be collected in one run to count for completion.

Design for the game varied wildly in production. The first idea was a sequin Yoshi, followed by a yarn outline form. Then this was changed so Yoshi switches between two forms, a yarn outline form and a full 3D model when he eats an enemy that glows green. The final version of the game has everything perpetually in fully knitted 3D models.

A Dummied Outtest level involves a small Yoshi made of yarn running across a non-yarn Japanese girl's room.

Award Bait Song: The song that plays in the final part of the Wonderful World of Wool is a lyricless example. It starts off soothing, it has "sparkle synth," it shows up at the very end of the game, is feel-goody, and it gets more triumphant near the end.

Badass Adorable: Yoshi's even more of one than usual, being a crochet doll and all.

Big Bad: Unsurprisingly, Baby Bowser is the villain again, with Kamek being the antagonist for most of the story.

Bookends: The final area of the final level is an orange field of flowers that looks very similar to the first area from the first level.

Boss Rush: The Boss Tent, where all bosses are sped up. The bosses can be fought at will, however.

Bottomless Pit Rescue Service: The "Fall into a pit? No problem!" Power Badge. it makes every pit in the game bounce Yoshi back upwards if he falls into one.

Brutal Bonus Level: It wouldn't be a Yoshi game without them. In this case, they're the S levels, unlocked by obtaining every flower in each level. None of them have checkpoints.

The Bus Came Back: Poochy for one, as well as Burt the Bashful and Naval Piranha serving as boss fights (albeit with new attacks).

Checkpoint Starvation: None of the Secret levels have any checkpoints. If you die in one after grabbing some goodies without finishing the level, you have to do it all over again.

Console Cameo: The Wonder Wool in the six secret stages unlock Yoshi themed after Nintendo's consoles in descending order, starting with a pattern themed after the Wii U and ending with a pattern themed after the Nintendo Entertainment System.

World 6-6 is called "Feel Fuzzy, Get Clingy", a pretty obvious reference to the infamous Yoshi's Island level, "Touch Fuzzy, Get Dizzy".

Naval Piranha returns as the boss of World 4-8, and its castle stage bears many similarities to 3-8 from the original game. You can even throw a yarn ball at it before the fight begins like in the original game, though this won't kill it prematurely.

While references to Yoshi's Island DS are incredibly scarce, one of the possible bonus levels includes Bouncies from that game.

Co-Op Multiplayer: Supported with up to two players; both players can eat and turn one another into balls of yarn. You can actually toss your partner in any direction to help them reach hidden areas, but it also lends itself to griefing. The functionality is replicated with Yoshi amiibo, which lets you control two Yoshi's simultaneously .

Death Is a Slap on the Wrist: Like Rayman Origins, you just respawn at the last checkpoint after dying. Though if you do die, any collectables you acquired since hitting a checkpoint is taken from your inventory and placed back on the stage for you to collect all over again. And in the Secret levels, there are no checkpoints.

Easter Egg: Naval Piranha returns, and you can pull off the same "quick-kill" trick from the original Yoshi's Island. However, since Piranha Plants cannot be defeated by yarn balls, all it does is slightly alter the preceding cutscene.

Guide Dang It: Each level has thirty key collectables: 5 Smiley Flowers, 5 Wonder Wools, and 20 Miiverse Stamps. Some are placed inside well-hidden Winged Clouds that require the player to touch its location with either themselves or a ball of yarn (either spat or thrown) to reveal its location, while others require solving puzzles, pushing walls, or phasing through fake walls New Super Mario Bros. Wii style. The Miiverse Stamps aren't helped by looking almost identical to regular gems.

Human Resources: The entire reason the Yoshis were turned to yarn was so Baby Bowser could use them as building materials for a new castle. Yoshi can do the same to create new platforms, warp pipes, and presents.

Idle Animation: As with other Yoshi games, Yoshi has various animations if you let him stand still for a bit. This time, Poochy gets in on it, too: He'll sit down and spin in place occasionally. Yoshi's idle stance will change to a sad, worn-down expression if he's on his last hit point, and he'll be quivering and looking around nervously if he's in one of the game's Big Boo's Haunt levels.

Literally Shattered Lives: A unique version of this pops up in the game: Kamek uses his magic to break the majority of the Yoshi population into Wonder Wool, with each Yoshi being broken into 5 pieces. They can be restored after gathering the 5 respective pieces of Wonder Wool in each level. Many enemies also fall apart into loose string when defeated.

Mercy Mode: In Mellow Mode, you play as a Yoshi equipped with New Island's Flutter Wings. Yoshi also starts out with a full 20 hearts, and heart-giving clouds release ten hearts instead of five. Additionally, dying enough times with these wings will prompt a rainbow egg to fly in the instant Yoshi respawns; touching it gives permanent invincibility to enemy damage.

Non-Standard Character Design: Scanning in a regular Yoshi amiibo unlocks a plastic, glossy Yoshi costume. It really sticks out compared to the yarn-knitted style of the rest of the game.

Yoshi himself becomes this due to his woolly redesign. Just check out his yarn amiibo!◊ The alternate patterns have the potential to make Yoshi even cuter, as well.

Poochy is also at his cutest in this game, complete with beady little eyes.

The mini versions of Bunson the Hot Dog are deadly but also possibly the most adorable enemy in the game.

There's a type of enemy that is literally a round baby chick, who groups with others to disguise themselves as a (still cute) large chicken head. A enlarged one is the 3rd boss, Miss Cluck the Insincere, and it's still adorable.

Running Gag: Once again, Burt the Bashful is a boss, and he's once again beaten by removing his pants.

Scenery Porn: Definitely one of the most visually gorgeous Nintendo games to date, as it expands on the Kirby's Epic Yarn art style by adding a dynamic camera and fully rendered 3D environments. The improved hardware power of the Wii U definitely helps.

The Unfought: Kamek, as usual. At least not directly, but he will assist some of Baby Bowser's attacks in the final battle. He also swoops in for aerial attacks in World 6-7, and this time you can smack him off his broom if you so desire.

Timed Mission: The transformation sequences. Let the timer run out and you're booted back to the entrance to try again, with any Wools/Flowers/Miiverse Stamps you may have collected being placed back.

Wheel o' Feet: Yoshi’s feet literally turn into little wheels when he runs (and into a propeller when he hovers, like an upside-down Snoopy). This is also reminiscent of Kirby's Epic Yarn, as Kirby transforms into a car if he runs.

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